The present invention pertains to a process for washing or rinsing dyed or printed textile material, preferably continuous rolls of textile material which are in the form of pile fabrics. In this process, a foam containing the active washing agent is brought onto one side of the textile material, the foam is subsequently worked into the textile material and then is removed from the textile material along with the substances which are to be washed out of the material.
Directly following the fixing process in the case of dyed or printed textile products, it is required to wash the products for the purpose of removing unfixed dyestuff, and concentration and other chemical residues. In order to carry out this washing procedure in a continuous process, it was previously required to utilize up to 15 washing apparatuses, each having about 3-5 cbm capacity in series with continuous addition of water. The entire amount of liquid, containing the substances washed out of the textile material, was then discharged into the sewer system. These large amounts of washwater represent a significant burden on the environment. Thus, there existed an urgent desire to reduce this large use of water, the discharge of correspondingly greater amounts of contaminated water into the sewer system and also the energy consumption which resulted from the required heating of the water, in this type of washing process.
Accordingly, efforts have been undertaken recently to improve the efficiency of the washing machines. The basic idea in this regard is always to intensify the relative movement of the washing solution and the goods being washed. Thus, for example, in German Pat. No. 1,113,201, there is disclosed a washing machine in connection with which the continuous band of textile material is introduced into a washwater vessel via a sieve drum which is mounted on an excentric. As a result of rotation of the excentric, the textile material is moved back and forth through the washwater in a vibrating manner. In the washing machine according to German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2 334 998, the continuous band of textile material is introduced by means of a normally rotating perforated drum, and in this device, the effect of high pressure spray nozzles is utilized. In this machine there also takes place a strong relative movement of the washwater and the textile material and thus a correspondingly higher exchange of substances between the two. The required usage of water and energy is still quite considerable in connection with this type of new washing devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,948,568 discloses a process for treatment of textile materials in connection with which the treating agent is sucked through the textile material in the form of a foam. A treating agent is present in the liquid which serves for the production of the foam. This liquid is foamed by being blown with a gas and then is brought into contact with the textile material in the form of the foam. Among others, the treating agent can be a washing agent or detergent. Since it is not required that the textile material be operated on with a compact amount of water, the use of water and the amount of wastewater are drastically reduced. Of course, U.S. Pat. No. 1,948,569 permits realization of only the discontinuous foam treatment of individual pieces of textile material.
However, the foam process has also in the meantime been developed as a continuous process, as regards the equipment utilized therefore, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,573 and No. 4,023,526, as well as In German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2 214 377. The actual washing within the context of the dyeing process is not considered in these disclosures.